ReHabbit is the winner of the "Wear Your Health" Innovation Challenge at the Healthcare Innovation Summit at New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, according to a news release.
The challenge is part of a three-year commitment by New Orleans-based Ochsner Health System and Chicago-based GE Healthcare as co-sponsors of an annual Healthcare Innovation Summit at NOEW. The challenge focused on wearable technologies, which allow a more personalized patient experience and care and can potentially deliver new value across healthcare, according to Ochsner.
ReHabbit, a proprietary system that captures data on activity levels, sleep, pain and medication usage for patients with chronic pain or chronic health problems, is a concept brought forth by Aaron Wolfson, PhD., a psychologist with Jefferson Neurobehavioral Group in Metairie, La.
Using ReHabbit, physicians can track and monitor a patient's pain medication usage through a Bluetooth-enabled smart pill dispenser, according to a news release. The physician can then intervene and make behavior recommendations, as needed.
Dr. Wolfson initially received $1,000 as one of eight initial cash prize winners during the first phase of the challenge, according to a news release. Now, as the winner, he is eligible for additional funding of up to $15,000 to collaborate with GE Healthcare and Ochsner toward further development and commercialization of ReHabbit, Ochsner said.
"I am thrilled with the opportunity to collaborate with Ochsner and GE to create new ways to improve patient safety and outcomes through ReHabbit," Dr. Wolfson said in a prepared statement. "Leveraging available technologies to provide actionable data to promote wellness behaviors is extremely rewarding. The healthcare industry is an incredibly rich area for innovation research and entrepreneurship. I'm excited to be a part of it, and I'm grateful to Ochsner and GE for this opportunity."
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